


Second Chance in More than One Way

by SasuNarufan13



Series: Careful What You Say [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Draco's POV, Foul Language, Last scene of story, M/M, Side story to Self-fulfilling Prophecy, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-16
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-08-15 08:23:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8049169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SasuNarufan13/pseuds/SasuNarufan13
Summary: Having dreamt for years of being Harry Potter's best friend, Draco is more than happy to finally find himself being considered Harry's friend. Then he had to go and mess it up by falling in love with Harry. But did he really mess up?





	Second Chance in More than One Way

**Author's Note:**

> Author's note: All right, it took me some time to finish this oneshot - which is quite embarrassing considering the word count - and frankly I had quite a shitty week, but I finally present you Draco's pov! This oneshot mainly deals with the last scene in Self-fulfilling Prophecy: where Albus sees Draco and Harry arguing with each other.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. J.K. Rowling owns it.
> 
> I hope you'll like it!

**Second Chance in More than One Way**

Not having a personal bathroom attached to the bedroom was quite aggravating, Draco decided when he slipped into Harry's bedroom only to discover the place still empty. The other man must still be in the bathroom located at the end of the hallway. Separating bathrooms and bedrooms was senseless in Draco's opinion; in Malfoy Manor every bedroom had a bathroom attached so that people would be more comfortable. Slipping into bed was quicker that way and the short journey ensured that body heat could be conserved.

_But what could one expect of someone who only had dragons as his companions?_ , Draco thought snidely as his eyes wandered across the room; one hand still resting on the doorknob.

The lid of Harry's suitcase was flipped back and some robes spilt over the rim. The extra shoes Draco had forced him to bring – "I don't need an extra pair just to look at some dragons!", "It doesn't hurt to be prepared, Potter. With your luck a dragon will breathe in your direction and set your shoes on fire." – were carelessly thrown next to the suitcase for some reason and grey eyes rolled. He wondered whether this was Harry's passive aggressive way of saying "Screw you."

Draco snorted and entered the room completely; gaze shifting idly from one side to the other in the room. The sheets were a bit rumpled in one of the corners of the bed as if Harry had sat there for a while. Coming to a halt next to a small desk, he leant against it with his hip and crossed his arms. Who could have thought that they would end up here? Together on a – dare he say it? – family weekend trip. Then again, could he really talk about a family weekend trip when nothing between him and Harry was official yet?

He grimaced and rubbed his jaw, breathing out slowly. They hadn't actually thought about what would happen now. Harry had stayed with him during the past few weeks, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. The blond knew what he wanted from the other man: a romantic relationship. No more dancing around each other, hinting at what could be between them. No more having to say goodbye to him when he left to go home to his _wife_. No more pretending that it didn't sting to see Harry playing happy marriage with Weaslette.

Although, Draco smiled darkly, his fingers tapping against the desk, they weren't so happy in the end, were they?

Was it his fault that Harry was thinking of divorcing the She-weasel? Perhaps. He certainly hadn't done anything to discourage the man from that idea. Did he care that he had potentially ruined a marriage? Not one bit. He hadn't gone out of his way to ruin their marriage; he had merely thrown some implicit suggestions at the Saviour.

He never claimed to be a fair and decent person after all.

He did want a straight forward answer from the dark haired man, though. Was Harry interested to start a relationship with him or not? Draco felt like he made a reasonable chance with Harry. During the last couple of months he had seemed to be more receptive towards Draco's careful hinting at wanting more – was that a good sign or was Harry merely that naïve that he didn't understand the hints?

Draco scowled; his fingers pausing their tapping on the desk. It would just be his lousy luck if Harry turned out to not have picked up any of his signals and merely considered him as a close friend. What the hell was he supposed to do then?

Sure, being Harry's friend had been a long life dream of him; in fact this particular dream had caused him to act like an arse towards Harry after the latter had denied his offer of friendship when they were eleven years old. Not one of his finest moments, he readily admitted that.

But he had always been greedy and now that he had Harry's friendship, he found himself wanting more. A lot more.

He hadn't meant to fall in love with the green eyed man. Had been happy to be able to speak in a civilised manner to him and had been nearly ecstatic when they did become friends. But then somehow, slowly his feelings had started to change; they became deeper, more complicated. He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when his feelings shifted from one realm to the other one. He _could_ remember the shock going through his system when he had to produce a Patronus to send a message to Kingsley only to discover it had taken on the form of Harry's Animagus form.

That had been the moment when he realised that he was in it too deep.

He had never been fond of the Weasleys, but he had found himself absolutely loathing Ginny Weasley for having the one he wanted. And what did the stupid bint do? Drive her own husband away with stupid accusations.

A mirthless chuckle escaped him and he let his head hang back, staring up at the eggshell coloured ceiling. Naturally he didn't complain about Weasley driving her husband off; it all worked out in his favour after all, though he had never wanted to see Harry hurt. How ironic was it, though, that her baseless accusations of Harry cheating on her with Draco ultimately drove the man into Draco's arms?

Well, nearly in his arms.

They hadn't had any personal conversation during the last few weeks, though they had come close to discussing it a few times. There had always been something that had interrupted them, though. One time it had been Scorpius, who had come wandering in the living room after having had a nightmare. Another time it had been Pansy wanting to rant about her mother-in-law. Then yet another time it had been Kingsley, calling them in for a new case.

The blond hoped that this weekend would give them the opportunity to talk about it. To figure out what they were going to do now. He couldn't stand this uncertainty hanging between them any longer. Didn't want to stand on the proverbial cliff anymore, too hesitant to disturb the fine balance.

He just wanted _him_ completely.

Was that too much to ask?

A breeze through the cracked open window made some pages flutter and Draco automatically turned his head towards the sound, wondering what kind of papers Harry had taken with him. If it was something work related, he would have words with the man. Even he knew when to leave his work alone and he had more to prove than Harry. Rolling his eyes, he snatched the papers from the desk before they could fly away and let his eyes trail disinterestedly over the first parchment.

It wasn't work.

Grey eyes stared blankly at the heading of the document: ' _Declaration for Divorce: Request to Dissolve Marriage_ '.

So Harry was really going to go through with it. He was actually _filing for a divorce_. He wasn't planning on going back to Weasley; he wasn't going to give their marriage another chance. He was really finished with it.

Tentative hope grew in him as he mouthed the words silently in awe. Did this mean that they had –

"Draco? What are you …" Harry trailed off, abruptly coming to a halt in the middle of the room when his eyes fell on the papers the blond was grasping tightly. His hands holding the towel to dry his hair lowered as his gaze shifted up, looking at Draco bemused. "A bit curious?" he asked casually, throwing the towel on his bed. Some droplets that clung to the tips of his hair dropped down and were soaked up by his white shirt.

"Don't leave them out where everyone can see them if you don't want anyone to read them," Draco quipped, barely able to tear his eyes of the darkening patches on the white shirt. His fingers positively _itched_ with the desire to reach out and _touch_ and he licked his lips. "So it's official then? You're going to divorce her?"

A dark eyebrow rose up. "I thought we had established that fact when I went to visit Scorpius in the hospital," Harry answered calmly; something in his eyes flickered.

Draco shrugged half-heartedly, dropping the papers back on the desk. "Saying it in the heat of the moment and actually meaning it are two different things."

"Well, I mean it," Harry retorted and sighed. "I already filled in my part. I'll send the papers to Ginny on Monday."

"And she's going to agree to it?" Draco cast a dubious glance at the papers. Even though she was the one who had basically thrown Harry out of the house, he had no trouble imagining her trying to convince Harry to give their marriage a second chance. And even if she didn't want him anymore, she could try to prolong the divorce proceedings as some form of revenge.

"Why wouldn't she? She basically threw me out of the house after accusing me of cheating on her," Harry snorted and shook his head. "At this rate we'll probably have another fight about it, but she'll sign. The real issue will be trying to figure out how we'll schedule the custody," he continued in a dark tone; a heavy frown creasing his forehead.

"But what if she won't agree to it?" Draco pressed, not willing to let the issue go. He didn't trust the Weaslette to agree to the divorce without any trouble. It just wouldn't be her to give in so easily.

A flash of annoyance lit up green eyes before it disappeared. "She will, Draco," the dark haired man stated firmly. "She may be stubborn, but she realises like me that our marriage is over. We've been fighting for too long and too much to be able to go back now. It's over between us."

"Is it just because of the fights?" the blond inquired abruptly, straightening his back.

"Pardon?" Forest green eyes blinked bewildered.

"Is it just because of the fights that you want a divorce?" Draco repeated; his nails practically digging into the vulnerable wood of the desk.

What if he had been reading their interactions wrong this entire time? He had thought that Harry was interested in him, but just hadn't done anything about it because he was still married to his wife and wanted to remain loyal – _unlike you were_ , a dark voice hissed in the back of his mind. He ignored that voice; he had got quite good at that.

What if Harry wasn't interested in him romantically, though? What if he really was just sick of all the fighting between him and Weasley and he didn't consider Draco as anything more than a friend and a good colleague?

What if Draco had just made a fool out of himself for months by subtly flirting with the man? What if _he_ was the only one who thought there could be something more between them? Humiliation burned ugly inside of him.

A look of uncomfortableness crossed Harry's face and he crossed his arms in front of his chest. "It's … The fights played a part in it," he muttered, looking away.

"What was the other part?" Draco questioned; mouth suddenly dry. A sliver of hope stirred in him.

Harry pursed his lips and shook his head roughly. "Look, doesn't matter, all right? I'm going to get something to drink," he mumbled and swiftly turned around, practically marching out of the room.

"Wait, Potter!" Draco snapped, striding after the other man. Like hell was he going to let him escape! Not when he was _this_ close to possibly hearing what he had wanted to hear for months!

"Potter, I swear to Merlin if you don't stop walking away now, I'm going to make you regret it!" Draco threatened when they both stormed into the open living room – or at least a room that acted like a living room. The blond still didn't know what the room was actually supposed to be with its giant fireplace and its couches, but at this particular moment he didn't care about it either. What he _did_ care about was making Harry stop and actually _talk_ to him.

Harry came to an abrupt halt in front of the gently crackling fireplace, swirling around to face the blond wizard with a frown. He crossed his arms defensively and scowled.

"What, Draco?" he asked and really, he had no right to sound so exasperatedly when he had looked like he was going to walk straight out of the house.

"Tell me what the other part is," Draco demanded, coming to a stop a few feet away from the dark haired wizard. "If it wasn't solely about the fights – what else then?"

"What does it matter?" Harry asked tersely. His fingers twitched near his sides.

"It matters a lot," Draco retorted fiercely and scowled. "Come on, just tell me! I've seen how your intestines look like; the time for embarrassment disappeared months ago."

"That doesn't even make sense," Harry protested, looking bewildered.

A growl, not unlike the sound a pissed off werewolf might make (and was that a memory he did _not_ need now?), left his throat and his jaw tightened; irritation growing steadily. "Don't change the subject!" Draco snapped. "What is the other fucking part?"

Harry pursed his lips together and his eyes shuttered close. It was clear that he wasn't about to fess up even if that meant risking Draco's ire. And Harry was supposed to be a courageous Gryffindor? Where was all that courage now then? What was so bad about this other reason for the divorce that he couldn't tell Draco about it?

Hadn't Draco proven that he could be trusted? Hadn't he proven that in spite of their past he would be on Harry's side?

Something in him popped.

Fine, if Harry didn't want to confess … Then maybe Draco would. This giant elephant standing in the room, this tension palpable between them ever since Harry had chosen him and Scorpius over his own wife … Draco was done with it. If Harry couldn't be honest, well, at least Draco would be.

And if he had read everything wrong, if Harry really wasn't interested in him like that, then at least he would have his answer and he would be able to move on. Win-win situation, right?

Draco snorted harshly and raked his hands through his hair, before letting them drop down to hang idly by his sides. "Fine, if you're not going to talk …" He took a deep breath and began, "Your future ex-wife may be more intuitive than you give her credit for."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked confused; his stance slightly relaxing.

"It means that … that I don't consider you as a friend, but as … as something more," Draco continued, swallowing with some difficulty. Being honest about his feelings would be a lot more difficult than he thought it would be.

A lot more terrifying as well.

He was given a blank look. "Something more?" Harry repeated carefully; the frown on his forehead deepening for a fraction.

"Are you seriously this dense?" Draco muttered, before he shook his head and said, "Yes, something more. I've been – I'm in love with you." There. He said it. There was no going back now. Heart thundering in his chest, the beat loud in his ears, he licked his lips and continued with a slightly scratchy voice, "I've been in love with you for a while now. I didn't think I would make a chance, but - "

"Are you sure you're not confusing it with friendship?" Harry interrupted him, a pinched look on his face. "It's – we went off at a bad start when we were children and it's only since last year that we actually got to know each other. Maybe you're just confusing it with - "

"I know what I feel!" Draco burst out; clenching his hands to fists. Who the hell did Harry think he was? Thinking he knew better than Draco what the blond man felt? "I know that I feel ridiculously happy every time I can make you laugh! I know that I can't stand the look of misery on your face every time you had a fight with your wife! I know that I look forward to seeing you every day and make up excuses just to have you stay longer with me! I know that the last couple of weeks have been one of the happiest in my life because I have you with me in the manor! I've been throwing fucking hints at you left and right for months now! Do you seriously think I would make the effort to learn how you take your coffee merely because you're my friend? I don't even remember how Pansy takes her tea and she's been my friend since we were children! I even listened to you practically waxing poetry about your wife when all I wanted to do was kiss you! Don't tell me that what I feel for you is merely friendship, Potter, because I'm pretty sure that a friend doesn't want to make – fuck his other friend! I'm pretty sure that a friend doesn't want to - "

A strangled noise left him as a lump formed in his throat; his stomach churning madly. He had never bared himself like this before someone else, not even Astoria, and he didn't know what to do now. What else could he say to convince the dark haired man that he didn't consider him merely as a friend? What else would it take to make the other wizard realise what Draco felt for him?

High strung, operating on an impulse, Draco stalked closer to Harry, feeling his own cheeks heat up like a furnace, and reached out to grab Harry's arm. Maybe if he shook the stupidity out of him, Harry would see that Draco knew what he was talking about.

He didn't understand him at first. Then the ringing in his ears faded out and it took all he had in him to not let his mouth drop open in shock when Harry repeated in a soft voice, "I've been in love with you for a while now. That's why I'm asking for a divorce. I can't lie to myself any longer. It wouldn't be fair to you, to me, or to Ginny. I thought I could ignore it, but then we started spending more and more time together and you understand me on a level that Ginny never will and …" He released a shuddering breath.

The weight crushing his chest disappeared in a flash and giddiness took its place, making Draco feel lighter than he had in weeks. Had heard the other man correctly? Harry was really reciprocating his feelings? He was really feeling the same as Draco? Discreetly he pinched his thigh and the short stab of burning pain made it clear that he wasn't dreaming.

A smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, Draco stepped closer and closer until there was barely an inch left between their bodies – and he couldn't wait to remove that sliver of space entirely soon – and bent forwards; his lips already tingling at the thought of kissing that pale red mouth.

Before he could connect their lips together, though, a strong hand pushed against his chest, forcing him to stop as Harry shook his head and took a couple of steps back.

Harry's refusal of the kiss felt like a slap in his face and the blond tensed up; the rejection leaving an nasty taste behind in his mouth. "What the fuck, Harry? You just said you're in love with me!" he hissed, praying that the hurt he felt wasn't shining through in his voice or face. That was humiliation he could do without, thank you very much. "So why the hell can't I - "

Harry clenched his jaw and looked away before replying brusquely, "Ginny already suspects me of cheating. Chances are big she's going to demand I use Veritaserum to prove I didn't cheat and if we kiss now, she's just going to use that against me as we're still officially married. This divorce is already going to be hell, Draco, and if it weren't for that fact, I would gladly kiss you. But we can't. Not yet."

Reluctantly Draco realised that Harry was right. His marriage with the Weasley bint had ended mainly because she accused him of cheating on her. An accusation like that would require actual proof in court and Harry would have to take Veritaserum in order to prove his innocence. As long as the papers weren't signed, they were still legally married after all.

As long as the papers weren't signed …

A smirk tugging at his mouth, he grabbed Harry's hand, not giving the other man a chance to retract it, and pressed a soft kiss on it, feeling muscles tense underneath his touch in surprise.

Barely lifting his lips from tanned skin, grey eyes rose up and gazed at green eyes, who looked back at him in shock while Harry's cheeks steadily filled with a red rose colour. "Well then, the moment those papers are signed, you won't be officially married anymore. Which means that we can do whatever the hell we want without it being classified as cheating," he murmured. "And the moment those papers are signed, Potter, I'm going to show you what a real kiss looks like." A smile of satisfaction lingering on his mouth, he offered the man who had captured his heart months ago a bow and whirled around, walking back to his room.

The smile on his face widened into a grin that hadn't appeared on his face for years when he heard Harry's bright laughter behind him.

It was more than irritating to have to wait until he could finally kiss Harry, but he could wait. He had waited for months already; he could wait a bit longer now that he knew Harry felt the same.

He would wait. Because Harry was worth it.

* * *

The moment Ginny Weasley – not Ginny Potter, she would never be Ginny Potter again – signed the papers, agreeing to a divorce a month later, Draco was the one who got pressed against the wall while a pair of firm lips kissed him urgently, stealing his breath away; hands burying themselves into fine, silky soft hair.

Green eyes glittered brightly as the stars above them when they broke apart; the need for air finally becoming too overwhelming.

Staring back into shining emerald green, Draco smiled, bringing his arms around a lithe waist as he pressed his face in Harry's neck, feeling him shudder when Draco exhaled slowly.

Things still weren't perfect. Harry's divorce still had to be finalised; they would have to tell family and friends about their new relationship; they would have to deal with the backlash of wanting to be together. Because there would be a backlash, of that Draco had no doubt. It was what was to be expected, sadly, when an ex-Death Eater got together with the Hero of the Wizarding World. The public would be more than pissed off.

But, Draco tightened his embrace slightly and pressed a soft kiss in the hollow of Harry's collarbone, they would deal with it. They had dealt with worse.

He had got a second chance at love and he wasn't going to waste it.

"So," Harry broke the silence; a mischievous tone in his voice, "I'm not sure yet whether this was a real kiss. Would you care to show me again? You know, just to be sure."

Draco laughed, happiness streaming through him like a waterfall. "Yeah, I can show you again. With pleasure."

And he did.

Multiple times that evening actually. Just to be sure that Harry really knew what a real kiss was.

**Author's Note:**

> AN2: I hope this met your expectations! Please leave your thoughts behind in a review; should you spot any mistakes, please point them out to me.
> 
> See you all in my other stories!
> 
> Cuddles
> 
> Melissa


End file.
